UFC 311: What’s next for Dvalishvili, Makhachev and Procházka?

Two champions put the MMA world on notice at UFC 311 when ESPN’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter Islam Makhachev quickly disposed of Renato Moicano to retain the lightweight title, and men’s bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili beat Umar Nurmagomedov in an instant classic.

Makhachev beat Moicano by first-round submission in the main event, while Dvalishvili won a unanimous decision over Nurmagomedov in the co-main event. Moicano was a late replacement for Arman Tsarukyan, who was originally scheduled to face Makhachev in the main event, but was forced to withdraw due to injury.

Also on the card, Jiří Procházka won a bout of former light heavyweight champions, knocking out Jamahal Hill in the third round.

After the first UFC pay-per-view event of the year, how should future matchmaking play out? Here’s what’s next for the top fighters from UFC 311.

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Islam Makhachev, lightweight

Who will be next: Charles Oliveira

One of the most unfortunate parts of Arman Tsarukyan’s withdrawal from UFC 311 is that it holds up the division at a time when the division needs to get going. Oliveira had earned a title shot but lost it due to a cut he suffered in 2023. He deserves his shot. Justin Gaethje had a guaranteed title shot last year and risked it to make the company a solid one – defending the BMF belt at UFC 300. If he beats Dan Hooker at UFC 313 in March, he deserves his shot as well. And while Tsarukyan’s stock is pretty low after his retirement, the sport will eventually give him a much-deserved title as well. Makhachev can only be so active. For now I think Oliveira will come first and I expect it to happen in June.

Wild cards: Arman Tsarukyan

UFC CEO Dana White has already said that Tsarukyan will have to earn his way back into a title fight. But if the UFC doesn’t go with Oliveira as the next title challenger, it’s hard to argue that anyone other than Tsarukyan gets it.

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Arman Tsarukyan, lightweight

Who will be next: Aaron Pico

If the UFC signs Pico, this is a complete no-brainer. Pico, 28, is a longtime Bellator featherweight who worked his way into a title shot opportunity at the end of this promotion’s existence. He is said to be a free agent and the UFC has a deep interest in signing him. If he wants to compete at featherweight in the UFC, that will certainly be an option — but why not take a shot at lightweight right out of the gate? This is an obvious fight to take. It keeps Tsarukyan busy with an opponent he’s never fought before, and for Pico, if he wins, it instantly legitimizes him as a new 155-pound title contender. There are also plenty of good fights for him at featherweight, but none that offer such immediate upside.

Wildcard: Islam Makhachev

I don’t expect this to happen since White said it wouldn’t during the postfight news conference on Saturday. But this sport works in strange ways sometimes, and you can’t completely close the door on Tsarukyan fighting for a title, because he was just 24 hours away from doing so.

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Merab Dvalishvili, Men’s Bantamweight

Who will be next: Sean O’Malley

This is more about not wanting to rematch Umar Nurmagomedov right away than it is about rushing O’Malley back into a title shot. I’d be fine to see O’Malley take another fight; In fact, I’m on record that the biggest fight for O’Malley would be José Aldo, and I’d love to see that happen. For Dvalishvili, though, it’s either a rematch with O’Malley or Nurmagomedov, and I don’t think the UFC will rush Nurmagomedov back right away. Dvalishvili already expressed his opinion that Nurmagomedov did not deserve a title. Are they really going to force him to beat him twice in a row? I honestly think the two will end up fighting more than twice, but I’m voting to do the O’Malley rematch first.

Wildcard: Umar Nurmagomedov

This match was so close. And although Nurmagomedov broke his hand in the first round does not take anything away from Dvalishvili, it happened. If the UFC wanted to run it back, I would definitely watch it. There’s no chance a rematch between these two won’t happen at some point, so why rush it right away?

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Umar Nurmagomedov, Men’s Bantamweight

Who will be next: Deiveson Figueiredo

At one point, Dvalishvili said Figueiredo was a far more deserving title challenger than Nurmagomedov. Well, here’s a perfect chance for the champion to get what he wants as two top-10 ranked contenders compete for a No. 1 contender spot. Petr Yan is also right there for a title shot. The top of this division is as deep as any in the sport. Keep them all active because the champion will be active. There are a lot of great fights, rematches and even potential trilogies to take place between the top bantamweights if the UFC just keeps them active.

Wildcard: Merab Dvalishvili

We will have to see how the timing plays out and how the division changes in the coming months as Nurmagomedov observes Ramadan and allows his hand to heal. It could shake out that he’ll be back in a title fight when he returns to the Octagon.

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Jiří Procházka, light heavyweight

Who will be next: A front row seat at UFC 313

There is no obvious fight for Procházka, especially considering Alex Pereira is defending his championship in less than two months. I don’t expect the promotion to book him anything until we see what happens between Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev. If Ankalaev wins, Procházka could get the next title shot, depending on how the fight plays out. If Pereira wins, Procházka is likely looking to win one more match. Even if Pereira moves up to heavyweight, the UFC might book an interim title fight that Procházka would definitely be a part of. The bottom line is that questions need to be answered before we know Procházka’s next move, and some of them will be answered at UFC 313 on March 8.

Wildcard: Winner of Jan Blachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg (March 22, UFC Fight Night)

This is probably the most likely outcome once all the light heavyweight dust has settled. It’s hard to say for sure because of all the potential wild cards at play, but Procházka hasn’t fought Blachowicz or Ulberg.

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Jamahal Hill, light heavyweight

Who will be next: Khalil Rountree Jr.

It’s pretty straightforward to do here. The only question is timing. Rountree has not fought since sustaining extensive damage in his title loss to Pereira in October. Hill just took a bit of an injury on Saturday. Stylistically and positionally, this is clearly the matchup, but Rountree might be ready to go earlier than Hill is available. The division needs clarity at the top, but the UFC (and the fighters themselves) are under no pressure to book right now. Pereira is so active that no one needs to worry about sitting out any length of time for a potential title shot. My guess is that neither Hill nor Rountree will be booked until the UFC sees the other light heavyweight bouts in March. And at that point, they might be on a perfect time frame to run into each other.

Wildcard: Aleksandar Rakic

Just going straight down the rankings here. This is a pretty self-explanatory matchup. These two have never fought, and they are in the upper echelon of 205-pound fighters, although each is on a bit of a skid. I expect the UFC to explore the Rountree fight first. That fight was booked in June but fell apart due to injury.